Other Cool Stuff

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Ace is my champion NSTRA (www.nstra.org) trial dog. Once I tune him up after a hunting trip, he makes the transition to the field trial game very well. We've been working the last two weeks on the little things that make a good trial dog. Today he showed me something I've never seen before in a field trial and only rarely in any situation.

We came off the starting line and Ace sprinted 30 yards and locked up! I flushed the bird, shot it and he made a good retrieve. "Good boy" I said as he handed me the bird, "Let's go!" and he turned and started looking for more birds. He handled well and listened to me. In the back of my mind, I was thinking he looked very good in his ground coverage, hunting objectives and working with me. He nailed another bird within a minute and I flushed it up and shot it, as well. The bird landed perhaps 50 yards away and he was on it only seconds after it hit. I watched as he picked it up, turned away, dug a hole, put the bird in it, buried it and trotted over to me, shrugged his shoulders and said, "Sorry, boss! I couldn't find the bird."

What?

We went on to take a second place today- by 10 points! That (zero point) retrieve would have been about 85-90 points and it cost us another First Place!

Arghh! Just when you think you have them wound up pretty tight....the string comes loose.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Grill Meister is ready! We are having two fresh, cage-free, organically-fed Turkey breasts and one free-range, acorn fed, formerly happy Venison hindquarter (humanely shot in the left ear at a distance of 25 yards in the pristine totally organic, green, environmentally- friendly back pasture) all cooked on the Big Green Egg. Since we are eating at 3pm, I will prepare pheasant and grouse tasties, at noon, for the hungry ones in the crowd. All of this will be enjoyed with a Southern liquid, flavored with an organic sweetener made from Iowa corn. (The recipe for the concoction is stored in a vault in the Coca-Cola tower in Atlanta, GA), and a dessert consisting of Pecan Pie (pecans from from Milner, GA) and ice cream made from contented Georgia cows. Or, as my neighbor likes to put it, "Dude, we're having grilled deer meat and turkey with Coke and Pecan Pie!"

I'm not a bad shot. In fact, I do OK in field trials and hunting all the species (except, of course, Ruffed Grouse, where I have about a 1-5 kill ratio). I know of a guy who teaches "Instinct Shooting" and swears he can have me nailing them spot-on in one day. His name is James Rutland. He's a great guy and I think he can do what he says he can do. In fact, I'm scheduled to see him December 6 for the lesson. I know, personally, of a young lady who does NOT shoot and she just graduated from his class. After she shot a Tums tablet out of the air with a BB gun, she went to the 20 ga. she just bought and shot clay pigeons for the first time, very successfully. I'd give a number but I don't know what it is. I do know she missed only 5 (out of how many, I don't know).

Check out the website (He's near Ft. Benning, GA and they love him!) James Rutland

Monday, November 15, 2010

There is a time in the life of a new pup when it comes down to "It's time to put him on a bird and see what he does.". Two days ago, I put a quail out in the grass for him and check-corded him downwind of the bird. He was mildly interested, sort of got a little birdy and I whoaed him just downwind of the quail and held him there. i reached in front and picked up the bird by the legs. Of course, it flapped and feathers flew and we let it fly off while I praised him and let him sniff all the feathers and the scent from the bird.. He went nuts! Jumping and barking and twisting- I knew then I had a good one. Yesterday, I hid another quail and eased him in downwind, again. This time, as he got the scent, I whoaed him again- and he locked down. Again, I let the bird make a lot of noise and motion and fly off. Today, we did it again. This time I didn't need to whoa him. He locked up tight as you see him above. I just told him "Bird, bird" and walked around him. He stood there long enough for my wife to go back to the truck and retrieve my phone to take this picture (maybe 2 full minutes). I reached in, flushed the bird, and we watched it fly. Then we check-corded back to the barn and pen. I can't wait to see him tomorrow.....I wonder if he'll be up to hunting in NM in January?

Sunday, November 14, 2010

I took a short video of the field trial yesterday in Alabama. We left that one with our tail between our legs. I was very pleased with the way Ace hunted and covered the ground, but he refused to back (again) and his obedience was a little slack. So, today, we had a little "Come to Jesus meeting" right here in the back pasture as I reiterated the rules about obedience and backing. He can do it all, but after all the bird hunting we've done this year, he needed a little brushing up.

We are deep in to the field trial mode now and having a great time. I run National Shoot to Retrieve field trials, when I am not hunting. It's a good time with good friends all united by the common bond of working with your bird dog. Many who field trial don't have the time to get away for the hunt, or the money (although field trialing can cost some, too), or the knowledge of how to do it. Look up a local trial (NSTRA is all over the country) and try it!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

I've written about this previously and I'm a big believer in the capabilities of this unit. I paid for the tracking feature, also, which allows my wife and friends to follow me as it sends an update every 10 minutes for 24 hours.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

We had a good run over the last few weeks. We shot Pheasant, Ruffed Grouse and Spruce Grouse. We went through the first blizzard of the year in North Dakota. My 7 month old Brittany, Ruby, is darn near broke after 4 weeks out of the last 7 hunting. We met a lot of new people and reacquainted ourselves with old friends. We saw a lot of beautiful country and hunted new territory in Minnesota. All in all, I'd have to say it was successful in every respect. Tomorrow, we turn the old diesel south and head back to the farm....field trials coming up for the next month or so.....

And it's in St. Louis County, MN! I know one can fly fish this river. I often wonder about stopping a grouse hunt just long enough to "wet a hook" in a stream like this.
We got skunked yesterday! Only one flush- and that was ear-high about 2 feet from said ear! By the time I recovered from the startle, the gray devil was laughing and winding his way to the clubhouse. Grouse hunting!

Monday, November 1, 2010

One worn out old dog and the two Spruce Grouse he pointed. I'm having them mounted for my den. Old Bo really did a good job on these birds. We had a 2 hour cast and took it fairly easy. He found a sunny spot for a snooze at the end of the walk.

Bird Dogs and Bird Hunting

After more than 20 years of bird dogs and bird hunting, I was able to free myself of the day to day "making a living" that is the curse of all those men and women to whom bird dogs and bird hunting is a way of life. Traveling around the country, from September to March, I indulge my passion for bird dogs and bird hunting with my Brittany bird dogs. Recently, I added to the pack by keeping 2 pups from the last litter of 11 that Ace and Ruby had. While having 4 dogs and traveling the country can be problematic, I've noticed I don't need to worry as much about "running out of dogs" before the trip is complete. With a little prevention, care and planning, I can rest dogs 1 day in 3 and still have 2 on the ground in the morning and 2 more in the afternoon. In the event a dog is laid up (cut pad, intestinal distress) another dog can step up. Bird dogs and bird hunting will make you a tremendous manpower (dog power) planner!

Another beneficial side effect is the planning of actual trips and times of the year. As an example, September is my traditional Montana Sharptail and Hungarian Partridge month. Great birds for the pups, they hold tight and live in easy country, It's a good way to get the dogs back in to "hunting" mode. October is Pheasant and Ruffed Grouse month. Usually the Dakotas and either Wisconsin or Minnesota will get a visit from the Brittany pack. In November, my bird dogs and bird hunting show will visit quail states like Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, Texas and Arizona. December will be the Mearns Quail deployment to mountains of Southern Arizona followed by Gambles Quail in Arizona and Blue Quail in New Mexico. January is a toss up and for the last several years has been Nebraska for pheasant, Oklahoma for Bob Whites, Arizona for Gambels and New Mexico for Blues (again). However, I've been known to head to Idaho for Valley Quail and Chukar.

In February, in order to instill some discipline and keep the boys and girls in top form, I start hitting the NSTRA Field Trials real hard, with an eye to the National Trials in February, April and May.

While I know this schedule with my bird dogs and bird hunting looks to be excessive, I look at it like a cup of water with small leak. I'm not getting any younger and the water in the cup is the time I have left. Thank God, I'm in excellent health (no thanks to my younger years) and still have the drive to chase the Chukar and Huns, but time will advance none-the-less and before too long, I will be remembering and wishing instead loading up the Beast of Birdin' with dog boxes and shotgun shells.

This BLOG is a way for me to document my fun with bird dogs and bird hunting. I can also look at products and test them on the road, under actual hunting conditions. I enjoy doing that and I've found some real gems in equipment and techniques.